QT's "Before" Shot

    This is QT when she arrived at the Humane Society of Northeast Georgia back in June.  Her eyes look so stressed and frightened.  Rick Aiken, the President of the Humane Society, says QT would huddle at one corner of her kennel, trying to get as far away from you as possible.  She would allow staffers to touch her, but would hold her body rigid and tense.  Just being close to humans almost immobilized her with fear.  When she moved, it was in a low crawl, with her head almost touching the floor. 

     Once her babies were given medical care and adopted, Aiken and the shelter staff realized QT was going to need a lot of TLC and one-on-one work. 

    So, they contacted Angie Woods, a dog behaviorist known as "Atlanta's Dog Whisperer."   She agreed to take QT into her pack of healthy, balanced dogs and work with her at no charge.   People bring dogs to Woods' facility - called U.S. Canine - from all over the Southeast - some with minor behavioral issues, some with major problems like aggression and biting.   Her website is www.uscanine.com, in case you're curious.

Woods has an ability to instantly connect with animals and understand where they're coming from and why they're behaving the way they are.  She could see that QT was fearful and skittish, but not at all aggressive.  QT immediately took to Angie's pack of dogs - some of them hers, some of them clients' dogs she's working with.  And, by watching the pack interact with Woods and her staff, QT slowly began to learn it was okay to trust humans, that they would not hurt her.  This was really a huge step for her after so many years fending for herself and trying to steer clear of strangers.


    In the fall of 2010, Angie Woods felt QT was ready to move on and live in a real house, with real people.  Woods' only requirement was that QT go to a home with at least one other dog, since she's much more a dog's dog than a people dog. 

   That's how she ended up with us.  We'd been looking for a dog we could foster and, hopefully, help.  When we first went to pick her up, I felt a little overwhelmed.  She was huddled close to the ground, stooped over in fear.  The smallest sounds made her jump and little things, like passing through a doorway or getting in and out of the car, almost paralyzed her with fear.   It felt like we were taking on a lot, but she was so sweet and gentle and hungry for affection, I knew she had a huge heart.